Sprite (folklore)

[1] The word sprite is derived from the Latin spiritus ("spirit"), via the French esprit.

The term is chiefly used with regard to elves and fairies in European folklore, and in modern English is rarely used in reference to spirits.

has been common in many parts of the world, and might to some extent still be found within neo-spiritual and religious movements such as "neo-druidism" and Ásatrú.

Ancient Greeks knew water nymphs in several types such as naiads (or nyads), which were divine entities that tended to be fixed in one place[2] and so differed from gods or physical creatures.

Water sprites differ from corporeal beings, such as selkies, mermaids, and sirens, as they are not purely physical and are more akin to local deities than animals.